Did the delegate strategy accomplish anything?

[emazur]

Serious question. It sounds to me, based on the Doug Wead interview, that it would have amounted to something if there was a brokered convention. Since there wasn't, what was the end result of the strategy? I'm not trying to belittle delegates, I'd just like to know the answer. For instance, was it the delegates that influenced the party platform [that Boehner said nobody reads anyway] or was that due to something else? What else besides did delegates accomplish?

[Darguth]

Well for one, in many cases state delegations elected state-wide party leaders and the like.

[wgadget]

The delegate strategy worked so well that the RNC had the rules changed on the spot.

How's that?

[DylanWaco]

It allowed for more money to come in and helped set up the infrastructure for the Rand shadow campaign that the Ron Paul campaign morphed into (practically officially) after South Carolina.

[sailingaway]

Yes, because that is what got us in place to take state parties and be noticed as a force at convention, even if after Ron had 6 states file to put him into nomination they changed the rules to make it require 8 states instead of 5 and Ron would have had that if RNC hadn't axed delegates from other states he controlled (such as Maine and Louisiana) without cause. But the delegate strategy also was followed by grass roots in 2008 -- which is how we got Nevada. The campaign devoted resources to it this time, and there were more people, so it was more effective this time.

How can you watch this and say there was no impact?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B39W91O-rUg&feature=player_embedded#t=0s

[jbauer]

Of course it did, it focused energy in places that got our people elected. Now we need to do that in more places

[Todd]

The delegate strategy goes far beyond choosing delegates IMO. It got people deeply involved in the party system. It was necessary to have people step up in greater numbers get involved and fight for leadership positions. It helped with the blueprint on what needs to happen over the next 4 years. We have to get people into those positions in the upper echelon.

[idiom]

We are reasonably close to being able to detonate the entire GOP presidential run at this point.

I think we should have started a cage fight with Mitt much earlier on, somewhat pre Iowa.

[wgadget]

But is the delegate strategy still viable after the RNC changed the rules on us?

I thought from now on the "candidate" gets to choose the delegates.

[tsai3904]

I thought from now on the "candidate" gets to choose the delegates.

Not anymore. The establishment dropped that part of the rule to get more people on board with binding delegates to the primary/straw votes.

[jllundqu]

Short answer... time will tell.

Many states are in the liberty column now. History will decide whether we have made a lasting impact.

[CaptUSA]

Yes. It should have demonstrated to all of us that the only way we can win things is if we get organized and work hard! The strategy showed us the way. Now all we have to do is to get more people to follow it. Once that happens, WE will be the ones making the rules. WE will be the tent.

We have the example. Run with it! Continue it!

(or we can cry about the sour grapes on the internet for 4 more years until we can get pissed all over again...)

[Sematary]

Serious question. It sounds to me, based on the Doug Wead interview, that it would have amounted to something if there was a brokered convention. Since there wasn't, what was the end result of the strategy? I'm not trying to belittle delegates, I'd just like to know the answer. For instance, was it the delegates that influenced the party platform [that Boehner said nobody reads anyway] or was that due to something else? What else besides did delegates accomplish? the strategy forced the gop corruption out into the open for all to see

[aclove]

The previous posts have covered it. We took over several state-level GOP organizations and forced the corruption into the open, live on national television.

[nobody's_hero]

We were able to push romney into shooting himself in the foot. His whole operation is doing more to damage his credibility than anything we could have accomplished.

The question we must ask now is, who will fill the void?

[sailingaway]

But is the delegate strategy still viable after the RNC changed the rules on us?

I thought from now on the "candidate" gets to choose the delegates.

The rules should be changeable in 2014 if there is enough stink about them. However, we will pick the best strategy for next time, next time. Next time the best strategy might be different.

[sailingaway]

the strategy forced the gop corruption out into the open for all to see

this

[BestVirginia]

This.


The delegate strategy worked so well that the RNC had the rules changed on the spot.

How's that?

And this.


Of course it did, it focused energy in places that got our people elected. Now we need to do that in more places

And this.


the strategy forced the gop corruption out into the open for all to see

And we can thank who for the strategy?

[Sematary]

This.



And this.



And this.



And we can thank who for the strategy?

Doug Wead? Jesse Benton? Not Sure? (he was the president in IDIOCRACY)

[rodo1776]

As far as I can see the delegate strategy was basically what we did in 08 only this time more people knew the rules ad strategies and we had much more success and it was more focused. More folks involved, more people elected to local and party offices and turning around some of the more sane neo cons to at least listen.

Just keep staying involved and with someone to lead we can keep this thing going. Our people are much more willing to put in the time and donate then the neocons and many of them die off every year also.

Each cycle we get screwed less and have more power. Keep it up.

[Keith and stuff]

The main job of the delegates is to vote on the platform. Was the platform changed?

[Maltheus]

A delegate strategy is good. The way they implemented it was bad. They were so paranoid about the other side finding out who our delegates were, that we couldn't even campaign for them. Everything consisted of back room deals to get us on various slates. The problem is that Benton despises the grassroots and thought we were inherently unsellable. But that's not true. And not everyone votes for delegates based on which candidate they support. We should have shopped our best people around to every Republican venue, instead of trying to sneak our way in.

And it should have been up to each county to choose it's own delegates. The hypocrisy of complaining about the new RNC rules only now just dawns on me. Benton was trying to do the same thing. It drove many people away where I live.

[sailingaway]

This.



And this.



And this.



And we can thank who for the strategy?

the grass roots and a guy named Steve Parant in 2007 is first I heard of it. Benton is the one who decided to put resources into it this time, I guess, after our guys took Nevada last cycle, only to have the party shut off the lights and flee to destroy quorum when Ron was getting all the delegates and the establishment didn't have enough votes to adjourn.

[sailingaway]

The main job of the delegates is to vote on the platform. Was the platform changed?

Yes, but OUR delegates also filed 6 states to put Ron into nomination only to have the rules changed to require 8 states...